Chapter 7

A Day of Blood

Cold night air rushed in and out of her lungs as her footpaws leapt and leapt again over the tree branches. Her vision cut through the dark with the help of the silver moon above, allowing Diane to see all that she needed to as she hunted. The blood flowed through her like a burning river, exhilarating her, making her want to grin even as she panted for breath. She made no noise as she moved from tree to tree, branch to branch, no noise at all to alert her prey.

The female shrew had been moving for the better part of an hour, and Diane had to congratulate her on the skill the shrew displayed in stealth. Diane had missed her when she'd left the camp and only knew the female shrew had gone because she longer was among the other shrews that had set up a small fireless camp at the banks of a stream a mile from Darr's tiny horde.

Diane had spent most of the time since then catching up with the shrew, dropping to the ground every now and then to make sure she was on the right track before leaping up once more into the trees to resume her pursuit.

Leaves licked her face, and stray branches picked at her black fur, but Diane hardly noticed. All of her concentration was on her movement, making graceful and precise leaps without the benefit of her tail as a counterbalance. After all these years she'd learned very well to do this kind of thing, and barely even noticed the absence of that familiar weight behind her. It wouldn't be too long now, though Diane knew she hadn't much time. The abbey was not too far ahead.

With one last leap and flip she silently landed on the ground, and as she looked up ahead she could see the dull glowing lights that could only be from the abbey windows. Was she too late? No, there was a dark form moving up ahead, swiftly and surly. Diane smiled and followed, the excitement of drawing this hunt so close making her heart pound even faster in her chest.

The trees ended, and there was only a smooth expanse of grass between Diane and a small gate on the south side of the abbey. She saw the form of the female shrew moving towards it, slower now that the goal was in sight. Fool. The drawing of the knife was little more than a light tingling sound in the night, but that was enough to alert the female shrew, either that or Diane's fast footfalls as she darted at the shrew, two daggers drawn, one in each paw.

The first engagement was a simple blinding flash of steel between two black shapes in the night, Diane's daggers rebounding off a shrew rapier that Elise drew in one flourishing motion as Diane attacked. The daggers made a musical note in the air that hung as Diane twirled about to the left, not letting up her attack for a second. One dagger flew up, another in and to the right at the shrew's side. Elise, surprised but recovering quickly from this assault, expertly moved her rapier into two lighting fast parries, though the last one deflecting the shot at her side was a bit sloppy.

Diane knew she didn't have much time; the noise of this fight would surely draw attention from the abbey. She had to finish this fast. The black squirrel went all out, daggers weaving a dizzying pattern, probing and poking inward, trying to get past the shrew's defense. Elise, to her credit, managed to defend herself against this onslaught, but could see where this fight was going. This dark assailant was preventing her from gaining any offensive momentum, forcing her to defend herself and back up, moving farther away from the gate into Redwall abbey and to safety.

Elise grunted as a dagger cut a painful red trail up one forearm. She knew she was good with a sword, at least as good as her husband Dippler, but this attacker, probably one of the vermin though she had a hard time believing that, was just too plain fast with those silver gleaming daggers. Elise knew her remaining life right now would probably be counted only in the tens of seconds, just as long as it took her to tire out from small wounds and constant parrying and dodging. The shrew gritted her teeth in a snarl, refusing to go down lightly.

A burst of orange glowing light filled the night, followed by a shout of alarm. Elise's night vision was ruined by the gate swinging open, and she had to fight the reflex to look away. However, Diane had her back to the door and the light, instead of ruining her vision, illuminated Elise perfectly. One dagger flashed in at the neck, another at the chest. Elise parried the one coming for her neck but Diane's other dagger slipped right into the shrew's flesh with a sickening 'thunk' sound.

Diane heard a cry from behind her, a shout somewhere between terror and rage "Elise!"

She looked over her shoulder to see a male shrew bearing down on her, no weapon in paw but anger and fear mixing in his eyes. Behind him was the tall imposing form of a badger, and a sight Diane had hoped she wouldn't have to see any time again soon…an all too familiar male squirrel with a sword bare in his paw.

Diane didn't waste time to see what would happen next, she retracted her dagger and pushed past the wounded female shrew, letting the shrew topple to the ground. Diane made a full on bolt into the darkness of the tree line, feeling the brush of air as an arrow from a guard up on the wall top zipped past her. Moments latter she was in the defensive cover of the forest, and she didn't stop running. It wasn't the fear of pursuit that had her moving so fast, not wanting to stop…it was the look that male squirrel had given her. Not one of anger, or hatred, but a look of disappointment. Diane couldn't explain it, but that look gave fear to her heart, which gave wings to her footpaws as she ran on into the night. She couldn't even begin to fathom why...

Dann kept the sword of Martin unsheathed as he carefully scanned the darkness surrounding the small pool of light created by the open gate. Somehow though the squirrel did not thing any more assailants would be leaping forth from the shadows of the trees. No, Dann had the distinct feeling this assassin preferred to work alone. He remembered so clearly that there was no mistaking the face; it was the same female squirrel whom he had nearly caught the night before. When the soft light from the lantern that Cregga was carrying had fallen upon her face she had looked right at Dann. At the time all he had thought was that it was sad that whoever she was she felt a need for some bizarre reason to work with vermin. Then she had run, and he had not even a chance to think about going after her.

His attention was snapped back to the situation at hand as Dippler knelt next to his bleeding wife. Already a pool of dark that Dann knew for blood was forming underneath her. Cregga was there almost an instant after Dippler, ignoring the shrew's frantic words to his wife.

"Elise! Elise say something!"

The female shrew did not respond, and Dann did not like the paleness of her face. Her eyes were closed, but Dann saw that her chest still rose and fell, though shallowly. Cregga wasted little time in examining her, and soon looked up to Dann. "We must take her inside and see to this wound."

Dann nodded in reflex, saying "I'll go ahead and warn Alora to prepare the infirmary."

At the badger's affirmative wave of her paw Dann ran off. He met with several hurried questions from a few gathered abbeybeasts around the gate as he ran in, but all he said in reply was a shouted "Make way!"

By the time he reached the main building itself Songbreeze was there, questions already plain on her face, blending in with worry as she gave him a concerned frown. "Dann, what's happened?"

"Dippler's wife, she's been injured. Song is Alora in the infirmary?"

Song gasped at the news, then quickly recovered and bobbed her head, "Yes, yes she is. Where is…oh no."

Cregga was now there, bellowing for crowding abbeybeasts to give room as she bore the still form of Elise across the abbey grounds to the doors leading into the main building. A stripped off piece of Cregga's tunic arm made a rough bandage around Elise's middle, but was already soaking with blood. Dippler followed at the side of the huge badger, his fear filled eyes never once leaving that of his wife. Song and Dann exchanged a glance, and she stepped aside as the warrior squirrel hurried ahead to warn Sister Alora of the dire event that had just transpired…

"Will she…?" Song could not quite finish the question as she searched Alora's face for any hint. The mousemaid's face was set in a grim crease, and her tone was flat as a placid lake. "I don't know Abbess. She is lucky that the blade missed anything vital…but she has already lost much of her blood, more than anybeast has a right to and still breath. I must admit though she is quite the stubborn one. I've stopped the bleeding, but she must be kept rested or even a bit of strain might undo what I have done for her."

The mousemaid took a long deep breath before saying, "If she survives this night I believe she shall recover, but this night is the curtail point."

"Can, can I see her?" This was from Dippler, who stood right next to Song in the hallway outside the infirmary. Alora gave him an appraising look. At last she nodded. "Yes, if you do not disturb her. Let her sleep."

Song could see relief wash over her friend's face like a wave of wind over tall grass. It was almost strange to see the usually joking Dippler in such a state. "Thank you Healer, you don't know what you're help means to me. If I lost Elise…" he coughed, trying to hide the fact that he was unable to speak past tears forming in his eyes. Alora nodded understandingly and stood aside, opening the door for him to enter. Before he did he turned to look at Song. The tears were still there, but there was a strain of determination in his voice now, "We can't let them get away with this Song. Those innocent creatures out there, and now my wife. They need to be stopped."

Song had no doubts as to who 'they' were as Dippler walked into the infirmary to sit by his wife's side. After the door closed Alora sighed and smoothed her dull green dress with slightly shaking paws. Song noticed there was some blood on both the paws and the dress, "I've never had to do things like this Abbess. I've never seen that much blood. Is this what will happen when we must fight the vermin come the morrow? I…I'm not cut out for this, I deal with coughs, stomach aches, and sore throats…not…not this."

Song wished she felt as calm and collected as her voice sounded as she put a reassuring paw on the Healer's shoulder, saying "We do what we must, when we must. Fate willing it won't come to unneeded bloodshed…however if it does, you, along with all of us, will do what needs to be done. Take heart that you're skills may save lives."

Alora nodded, eyes staring downward at the floor. Song could feel the tiny tremors running through the mousemaid's body. Eventually Alora nodded again and looked up, one paw going across her eyes to clear some fresh tears, "Yes, you are right Abbess. I must go down to the storerooms to ensure that we have enough soothing herbs in case of need. Good night to you Abbess."

"Good night to you Sister Alora," Song watched the mousemaid hurry down the hallway towards the stairs. She thought of following, to go to her own rooms a floor below and get some rest, but she reminded herself of the great amount of work left to do.

The fires in Cavern Hole didn't seem to burn quite as bright as they usually did, though Song amended that might just have to do with her darkened mood. She was tired, nearly exhausted, and the night was going to be longer yet. Thoughts of Leon, whether he was alright or not, hovered in the back corners of her mind like specters of old tales told to frighten dibbuns, whispering in her ears unthinkable worries. Leon had to be alive and well. Song would not allow any other possibility to dominate her thoughts. She could not afford the worry either, for her concentration had to be on the task before her.

The table she sat at was mostly empty save for a few wooden mugs filled with October Ale from the cellar's. The hotroot tea had been drunk up long ago and more was being brewed at that very moment. Around the table sat her little 'counsel'. Dann, his father Rusvul, Song's father, Florain, and the semi-official leader of the refugee's, Lindin. Dippler would have been here if not for Elise…Song sent a small prayer through her mind that Dippler's wife would pull through the night.

"An ambush is our best shot," said Rusvul with a tone of utter confidence. "A small armed group hides inside the abbey itself while the rest follow what this Darr Notch will expect, and evacuate. Once the vermin have entered the abbey grounds entirely then those hiding inside this building will attack. By that point the hostages should be safe…"

"Assuming that the Guosim are actually out there and can do what you suggest Rus," Janglur said calmly. "Elise being here doesn't mean the rest are. Assuming that the Guosim are out there somewhere though how are we going to get a message to them, telling them of this grand plan?"

"Sombeast could sneak out…" offered Rusvul, not willing to quite give up on his idea so easily.

"Who?"

"Any of us might be able to do it. Janglur you're more comfortable in the woods than anybeast here, you could slip out of this abbey and get to the Guosim in no time."

"Again, with the assumption that I would know where to look. I'm not saying it's a bad idea Rus, but we have less than four hours before the sun start's rising, and that doesn't give us much time before that deadline…"

There was a long silence. Song knew that up above Cregga was getting everybeast in the abbey ready to leave, just in case. Belongings were being packed, rooms cleared out, and more than a few things were being left behind. Whatever plan they cooked up down here in Cavern Hole, Song knew that time was running out to implement it.

"Ifin' tha shrew lass was up an' about she'd be right able ta tell us where 'er band o' merry Guosim are hidin' out, wot." Florain said to himself, tapping his now long empty mug against the table in thought.

At the very moment however, as if her name has been some mystical summons, the doorway into Cavern Hole slammed open, the sound echoing throughout the chamber. All heads turned, and many eyes went wide, upon seeing Elise herself striding towards the table with quick steps. Her face was pale but set in a determined scowl, most of the scowl seeming to be directed at her stuttering husband that trailed behind her while trying to ineffectually grab at her arms.

"E-E-Elise! You must go back to bed! Now, I…I command it!"

Not even breaking stride she scoffed and tore her arm free yet again from Dippler's struggling grasp.

"You ain't commandin' a damn thing from me! Stow yer gab and stop lookin' like something is wrong with me blast it! I'm fine!"

Songbreeze had a hard time believing that, seeing as how the bandaging around Elise's middle was soaked through with a dark splotch of blood. Somehow the female shrew was not minding her injury at all, and Song could see a fire burning like a hundred bright candles in those dark eyes.

When Elise got to the table she leaned her arms on it, not bothering to take a seat, and looked about at the stunned faces that were staring back at her. Dippler, coming up beside her, threw Song a desperate look. She could see the wild fear in his eyes and it made her heart ache for him. This had to be worse for him than seeing her injured in the first place.

"Now what's this I hear 'bout some plan involving us Guosim?"

A few moments of silence followed her question, and before Song could clear her throat and 'gently' request that Elise should return to the infirmary to sleep, Rusvul spoke up.

"Come tomorrow that vermin bastard's going to get just what he wants…just not as he's expectin' it. We can take care a' him and his gang with an ambush here in the abbey, but we need the Guosim to rescue the hostages being held on that damnable contraption."

Elise actually smiled, a thin dagger-like visage that made Song wonder how Dippler survived being married to this shrew. "I like it. An' once we Guosim take care of the hostages we come chargin' into the abbey, cutting off the vermin's escape. Hahaah! It'll be good to teach those blighters a lesson!"

"Elise, calm down! You're hurt damn it!" Dippler was trying to edge himself between his wife and the table, forcing her to face him. "Fine, it's a good plan, but you're not going to be a part of it! I won't have it!"

Elise's scowl, as impossible as it seemed, got even darker. Song had no idea how anybeast could be capable of summoning up such an ire filled continuance. If the female shrew's face was angry then her tone had to have been rage itself put to word.

"Now you listen here Dippler. I have every right to fight with my shrews. Get it through you're thick, addled brained skull that I am NOT INJURIED! Scratched aye, but not injured! An' ye better believe I'm gonna gut the little squealer of a vermin that did it! So if you're quite done…"

"I'm not done," Dippler cut her off, and Song was impressed a bit by his own tone. The terrified Dippler of a moment ago was replaced by Log-a-Log, Chieftain of the Guosim in every sense of the term as he crossed his arms over his chest and stared up into the face of his taller wife.

"Elise, I don't care if you think you're injured or if you just took a noonday stroll through the tulips…you not going to put yourself in any more danger. In fact, if you aren't back in that infirmary bed in ten seconds I'm going to pick you up and carry you there myself!"

This was followed by a silence that stretched onward, and Song got the odd mental image of a string being pulled to the near breaking point. Elise's eyes starred at Dippler with what might have been disbelief if not for the obvious rage that the female shrew seemed to be trying to decide where to throw, Dippler's face being the more temping of available targets. Surprisingly, and fortunately in Song's mind, Elise let out a loud huff and nodded mutely. She then strode from the room, not even looking back.

Dippler stood there watching where his wife had gone, wincing when he heard a door slam in the distance. "She's going to get me back for that…heh…I'm almost looking forward to it."

No beast else present commented as the shrew spent a few moments collecting himself. He then seemed to realize just where he was as he started and looked about at everybeast gathered. He smiled embarrassedly and scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry 'bout all that."

"Nothing to be sorry about Dippler," said Dann wholeheartedly, motioning for the shrew to take a seat. "Besides, at least now we have something resembling a workable plan."

"Aye, now it's just a matter of settin' it all up," Janglur's face was thoughtful, and Song knew well enough her father was already working out the details in his head. Rusvul was more verbal with his ideas.

"Might not go exactly accordin' to plan, but it don't really need to. Come morning most the abbey is gonna empty out just like that warlords' expectin' it to. He'll walk right on in with his vermin, thinkin' the place is all theirs…then wham!" Rusvul's paw slammed the table top for good measure "The warriors we got hiding away here in the main building hit 'em with as many arrows and sling stones as we can, from the walls too if we can hide some able bodied beasts up there. Then Log-a-Log an' the Guosim can move in, rescue the hostages, then charge on to the abbey gates to flank the vermin."

"Gotta a'mit it ain't a' bad bit o' tactictionizein', but timin' 'ill be key, wot." Florain's words were met with nods all around. They all needed to figure out exactly who was going to do what and when if this plan was going to have any chance of success. As they talked and the night slowly became early morning Song's thoughts turned to the two ratbabes. She would be among the one's "evacuating" and she would take Terra with her, but Leon was still on his own. Granted he was among the Guosim…but Song's heart felt like leaden, unable to stop worry from spreading to numb her thoughts. Leon was impressionable at best, and he had already gone through a lot. Song did not want to think about what all this might end up doing to the young rat's sense of the world…

All too soon the time came. The meeting ended. The plan was set into motion. Abbess Songbreeze Swifteye walked out of Cavern Hole, through the Great Hall of Redwall Abbey, and out into the abbey grounds just as the sky was turning a bright shade of blue marked with streaks of gold sunlight painted clouds.

Darr Notch watched with satisfaction as the gates of the big red building swung open. He was wearing his best; a full shirt of somewhat rusted chain mail over his dark gray padded tunic. Over his back his huge battle-axe was slung, waiting, begging, to be drawn and used. To his left stood Eies, looking to be in as foul a mood as ever. Under the edge of the comically rusted helmet the stocky female ferret had put on her eyes smoldered with unreleased venom. Darr figured that even after these woodlanders left their big sandstone home that Eies would still want to execute a few of the hostages just to release some aggression.

He might even let her.

To either side of himself and Eies were the fighters of his horde, thought not all of them. A hundred, all clad in the best bits and pieces of armor that they could scrounge up and with the least rusted weapons stood in a relatively neat line to Darr's left and right. A few guards, about a dozen, were over by the platform where the hostages were all still strung up and waiting. The rest of Darr's able bodies vermin were hiding in the woods not too far away. If the woodlander's tried anything funny and somehow things didn't go in Darr's favor then those reserves hidden among the trees would make sure a route of retreat was left open. Darr was not a ferret to take chances.

The only thing that had him feeling a little sliver of doubt was that both Diane and that crazy but rather useful stoat were both missing. Hal, Yuri, Tand, or whatever he was calling himself today, was supposed to be here along with Eies, and Diane was supposed to be helping with guarding the hostages. Darr mentally shrugged off the worry though, figuring neither one of them were that important for this plan to work and that he could beat some answers out of them later.

His attention was drawn to the abbey doors as they swung open with a loud groan that echoed through the fresh morning air. A tinge of mist hung over the ground that, in Darr's view, gave the woodlanders an almost ghostly quality as they started to shuffle from the gates of Redwall. As Darr watched he noted how pitiful these weak wretches appeared to be, cloaked heavily, laden with their meager belongings, all staring at the ground save for the occasional curious glance of a young one. What a tempting target the entire line looked as it marched down the path from the gate towards Darr and his waiting vermin. The plunderer in Darr just screamed for him to order his vermin to attack, but some back corner of his mind told him that once a bargain was struck it should be followed. Besides, these unarmed creatures were no threat, and had nothing of value, save perhaps their own bodies which would make good slave labor.

He noticed at the head of the column of woodlanders was a female squirrel, the so-called 'Abbess' he'd talked to the previous day. When the woodlanders had gotten close enough the squirrel raised her paw and those behind her halted, then she approached Darr in a slow and non-threatening manner. He also saw that cradled in her arm was a heavily wrapped burden that moved slightly, the squirrel's own offspring no doubt.

The squirrel, Songbreeze Darr remembered her name to be, stopped just a few feet short of him. She was wrapped in a dark cloak, obviously meant to withstand even a harsh winter wind. The haversack slung over her shoulder was small and seemed a little too small for the personal belongings of a supposed leader. It seemed offensive to Darr that a leader of creatures shouldn't have more than the common rabble they lead. But then again, these were woodlanders, a weak and incomprehensible lot if one ever existed.

"Well Abbess," he said "Looks like ye saw sense an' reason. Glad I am ta not have make them red walls o' yer abbey any redder than they got ta be."

Where his voice was as commanding as he could make it, her voice was utterly meek. A deep rooted instinct inside Darr told him her voice was too meek, but he ignored it. Still, there was something in her eyes he couldn't place, something that made him uneasy.

"You're too kind, allowing us to leave without any trouble. I doubt we could have lasted long in a fight with such…strong and powerful beasts," her eyes darted towards the platform and its occupants. Darrn noticed this and jutted his chin over in that direction.

"The 'ostages 'ill be set free soon as yer all well an' down the road a ways. They can catch up."

"Of course…then we ought to get going then."

Without another word she turned away and walked back to her own, leading them onward down the path past Darr's watching vermin, then onward until they reached the road to the west. Even as the last woodlander walked out of his field of vision Darr felt his unease increasing. Something wasn't right and he couldn't place it. Once more he put aside his growing fears in a steady voice commanded his vermin to follow him.

He, Eies, and a hundred vermin marched up the path and through the great gates into the abbey grounds. Darr felt his heart skip a beat as he saw just how beautiful it all was. He wasn't one for that kind of thing, but even his hardened heart could see the long and loving craftwork that went into each inch of red sandstone. More than that though was the sight of the orchards, the well kept grounds, and the calm and clear pond. Food and water to last months if rationed properly…and who knew, perhaps somebeast among his horde knew how to actually grow the stuff. Vegetables weren't the best tasting thing, but when compared to starving one stopped paying attention to such little details. Besides, there were probably some huge fish in that pond.

Though Darr didn't notice it his own vermin were similarly awed by the sights around them as they started wandering around the abbey grounds in broken up groups. Darr found himself with a dozen or so others along with Eies walking towards the huge main building, wondering what treasures might lie inside. It was almost too much to believe the woodlanders had just walked away from all this without a fight.

Darr paused in mid-step. His eyes went wide. Realization dawned in one clear and agonizingly slow moment. The squirrel's eyes…that had been a look of defiance. There had only been a few hundred leaving the abbey. This place could easily hold four times that number. Most of those leaving had been hooded and heavily cloaked…to hide the fact that they were mostly too old or too young…too old or too young to fight.

Darr was just shouting out for his vermin to group together and draw weapons when the first arrows sliced down around them. One rat drooped next to him, gurgling with a shaft sticking out of his throat. A second later another fell, an arrow piercing the rat's leg. The rat managed to scream only once before another arrow took her through the back.

Hot rage mixed with the fear inside Darr as he drew his battle axe and roared for his vermin to rally to him. He could see in the windows of the big abbey that there were creatures, squirrels, mice, and hedgehogs, all armed with bows and slings. Turning he could also see a scattering of woodlanders up on the wall, no longer hiding themselves but hurtling their deadly stones and arrows down upon his vermin.

"To me!" His voice was a thunderous shout "Everybeast to me!"

Despite the initial ferocity of the woodlander's barrage Darr saw that only a score of his horde had fallen. There weren't that many woodlanders, and many of them had rather poor aim. It seemed only a skilled or lucky few were hitting their marks. Already vermin were swarming around Darr, weapons bare in their paws. They all looked to him nervously for his orders even as arrows and stones took a few more to Hellgates.

"To the walls," he growled "Charge the walls and take them! There are only a dozen up there!"

The idea of not being outnumbered obviously bolstered the courage of the vermin as they moved in a tangled mass for the stairs leading up to the walls. Darr very soon found his estimate of the woodlanders numbers on the wall to be very close to the mark.

A little over a dozen mice and squirrels, all seeming to be very young, stood up on the walls, half armed with bows and the other half with slings. When Darr's vermin started heading up the stairs Darr saw a few of them drop their ranged weapons and pick up spears and swords that were lying on the stone floor of the ramparts. Anger flushed through his system along with adrenaline and Darr found himself charging to the fore of his troops. He was the leader of this band of vermin for some good reasons, and one of which was the rage he fought with in battle that made the other vermin fear him.

"Wraaaaaggghhh!"

Darr's war cry was a wordless guttural thing as he leapt up the stairs two at a time, arriving well ahead of his other vermin. The first woodlander he encountered, a young male mouse who stared at the snarling ferret with frightened but determined eyes, raised a sword in defense. Darr, using sheer strength and ferocity, knocked aside the mouse's sword and cut deeply into the side of the mouse with his backswing. Hot blood flew into the air in a gruesome spray that dotted Darr's face as he pushed aside the dying mouse, sending the unfortunate abbey defender tumbling over the side into the abbey grounds below.

Seeding their comrade fall and the blood splattered face of the enraged ferret the other woodlanders all seemed to want to cringe back, faces wincing, but on they came with the courage only those defending their homes and families can have. Darr waded into them with eager abandon, joined on either side by vermin soldiers he knew this routine and had done this a dozen times in the past against their own kind.

As willfully as the young woodlanders on the wall fought, using inexperienced thrusts and slashes, they were slowly forced back by the vermin. Both Darr and his horde had fought against other vermin for land and plunder, and knew death like a cold second skin. There was no hesitation in their blows. Several woodlanders fell to rusted swords and axes before the remaining half dozen, backed up to the northwest corner of Redwalls ramparts, redoubled their efforts to drive the vermin back.

For a moment it almost worked. A few vermin were cut down by the desperate strokes of the young woodlander's, but then with a crash of steel and the wet sound of blade biting into flesh a group of vermin who had swung around to the other side of the wall flanked the woodlanders and they were quickly cut down even as they fought through their last breaths.

Darr, covered in blood, did not pause to thing of victory, because even as the final woodlander on the wall fell under his axe he heard a shout of pain as a nearby stoat toppled over the wall, his skull crushed by a sling stone.

Down in the courtyard the woodlanders that had been inside the abbey building had revealed themselves, having rushed out to try and aid their friends up on the wall. Too late to save those on the wall the several score of woodlanders down below the walls were firing upward at Darr's vermin who had taken the walls. Ducking down to avoid an arrow Darr ordered his vermin to pick up what bows and slings they could from the dead wall ambushers and turn them on the woodlanders down below. He then stood and was about to lead the charge down the stairs to rout these damned double-crossing woodlanders when he heard a frightening roar that made his own war cry sound almost like the bleat of a newborn in comparison.

"Eurallliaaaaa!"

With a kind of mute fear twisting him Darr watched as several vermin were heaved bodily into the air and over the side of the wall as a massive creature that could only be a badger rushed up the stairs and hammered into the side of his troops. Massive tree-trunk thick arms batted aside weapons even as they cut flesh, and vermin bones were crushed even as the vermin they belonged to were tossed aside like dolls. In the span of only a pawful of seconds a dozen of Darr's vermin were removed from the wall, and the rest, even as they scrambled to pick up bows and slings, darted away from the sight of a badger in full bloodwrath.

Deep inside himself Darr somehow managed to draw up enough courage to heft his axe, wrapping himself in the warm blanket of his own rage, and match the badger's roar with one of his own; a challenge. Even as he charged past the fleeing forms of his horde at the badger on the opposite side of the wall he felt a cold voice in his mind telling him he was crazy to try doing this. As he saw the hulking badger turn towards him, not looking at him, but seeming to hear his rapid approach, he couldn't help by agree with that voice.

Dann watched with awe filled eyes as Cregga took on the vermin on the wall single-pawed, and for a moment Dann felt sure the raging badger would end this fight before it had a chance to escalate further. However, Dann had to grudgingly admit to himself, that vermin warlord had some guts. Either that or he was plumb out of his mind, a thing Dann wouldn't doubt as he saw the ferret charge Cregga, battle-axe swinging in the morning sunlight like a chip of black ice.

Dann had to look away just before the ferret and badger met, because he had problems of his own to deal with.

"Blasted sneakin' rottin' vermin!"

Rusvul Reguba's words summed up the situation rather nicely in Dann's mind. The idea had been to trap the vermin inside the walls of Redwall and fight them there, while the Guosim, lead by Dippler, would take care of freeing the hostages. Apparently this plan had run into a bit of a hitch…for Dann could see clearly through the open gates of Redwall that the Guosim were indeed fighting to rescue the hostages…from a full contingent of maybe fifty armed vermin.

Though it was hard to spot details Dann could tell that the Guosim were in a fix. Which meant they needed help. Dann thought quickly.

"Father," he called, "Stay here with half of our fighters to keep those vermin pinned down on the wall! I'll take the rest and go help Dippler."

Rusvul, who looked just about ready to go charging headlong through the gates and into the fray outside just looked at his son with a long blank stare…and finally nodded. Immediately the old Reguba was barking orders left and right, getting half the armed abbeybeasts into a stable firing line of bows and slings, firing steady volleys up at the vermin above on the walls.

Dann managed to get one last glance up there to see that the vermin were regrouping, even without their warlord, which made Dann look about to see if he could spot the ferret or Cregga. After a moment his heart lurched with an icy feeling. Where was Cregga? He couldn't see her nor the vermin warlord. She couldn't have been…

Dann shook his head, gritting his teeth in anger. No time to think on it. The hostages needed to be saved. The Guosim needed help. His father would deal with the vermin on the walls. No time to think. Time to act.

"Everybeast who ain't shootin' sticks an' stones at vermin get you're blades drawn and follow me! For Redwall!"

He heard shouts echoing his, some enthusiastic, some terrified but steady, and he knew even as he sprinted as fast as he could through the open gate and out onto the path before the red sandstone walls of his home that he had friends and comrades running right beside him. Running straight into a confused melee of shrews and vermin amid a wood platform filled with some very frightened looking woodlanders…

Halem leapt backwards, falling over his own feet as the rat chopped at him with that wickedly curved blade. Landing flat on his tail the mouse had the breath knocked out of him for a second, meaning he didn't have the voice to shout in fear as the rat advanced. Halem fumbled around for the shrew rapier he'd dropped. Even as his paw closed around the cold hilt the rat lunged. Halem dived to the side, rolling out of the way of that deadly length of curved steel.

He knew nothing of fighting, save for a few sore blisters on his paw from the short training sessions he'd participated in when the abbey was preparing itself for possible war. Nothing could have prepared him for what was happening now.

Bodies lay strewn like puppets with their strings severed all around him. Shouts of pain, anger, and fear filled the air just like the copper stench of blood and less easily identifiable bodily fluids. The clang of metal upon metal and the dull 'thunk' of metal biting flesh added punctuation to the sickening orchestra of the battle. Battle…Halem's first…and he sincerely wished that if he survived it, his last.

The rat came in again just as Halem was getting to his footpaws. Like Dann had demonstrated to him Halem brought the barrowed shrew rapier up in a parry. He nearly had the blade knocked from his numb paw from the force the rat hit with. The rat followed up with a vicious reverse stroke that cut Halem across his forearm. With a yelp Halem clutched his bleeding arm, so fascinated with the burning pain and the odd wet and warm stickiness of his blood that he almost didn't realize that he'd dropped his sword.

Knowing he was defenseless Halem backed away, but the rat advanced with murder in its gleaming black eyes. Halem closed his own, not wanting to see the sword strike that would finish him. After several seconds of nothing happening, no bursting pain of a sword entering his chest of the like, Halem opened his eyes. A shrew stood over the now quite dead rat, already looking for another vermin to slay.

"Watch yerself," the shrew said harshly "Can't be affordin' to save yer sorry hide each time ye think to play at warrior."

With that the shrew rushed off, spotting a comrade of his that was being double teamed by some ferret's with spears, and figuring he could even up the odds. Halem just looked about himself with a lost expression on his face. The shrews battled with the vermin in an almost nonsensical tide of shifting bodies and flashing steel. Somewhere off to his right, near the edge of the woods, Halem could see the dreaded wooden platform, the gallows the vermin had constructed. There the hostages stood waiting to see if they were to be rescued, or executed, unable to affect the outcome themselves being tied up as they were. A small line of about ten vermin held the gallows against any shrews who managed to break through the melee and try and free the prisoners.

Maybe Lil was right…thought Halem, maybe coming out here wasn't such a good idea…WHAT?

Halem stood, watching with eyes widened with stark horror. Somebeast had managed to slip past the vermin guards and climb up onto the gallows with the hostages.

"Leon!" Halem's cry was swallowed up by the buzzing drone of battle.